Siphon technology has long been known to man. Typically a siphon takes water at one level, raises it over an obstacle of some type, and releases that water and a level lower than the first level relying upon gravity to move the water, or indeed any fluid. Siphon technology is used to drain flooded areas, empty swimming pools, and in other applications. The use of the heat, electrical current, and magnetic flux to move fluids is generally known. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,679 to Shulman was granted for "Geothermal Heat Mining and Utilization." This patent recognizes that heated fluids are less dense and therefore flow upward where heat can be recovered. Once heat is recovered the cooled fluid is heavier and therefore sinks to lower levels to be recycled over a geothermal source. Thus water is rising from a lower-level to a higher level by Thermo-siphon circulation. This system is a closed loop system used principally to recover heat from the geothermal sources.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,731 to Sigworth was issued for a "buoyant element check valve for the Thermo siphon energy system." While this patent application deals with a particular mechanical element for a valve, it recognizes the thermo-siphon action that occurs in solar or energy systems and the fact that the heated liquid will travel upward until such time as it is cooled, whereupon it will travel in a downward motion. Thus by implication a siphon action could be created based upon heating a liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,768 was issued to Sarver et al. for a "solar actuated drain system." The invention comprises a siphon having an inlet immerse in a pool water to be drained from a roof. A discharge end with a pressure responsive one-way valve is used to prevent the breaking of a siphon action. This invention is the classical case of a siphon being started to drain water from a high-level to a lower-level. In this invention heated water, based upon solar heating, causes the siphon action to begin. This again recognizes the fact that heated water can be used to create a siphon action.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,385 to Vitous was issued for a "vented hot water supply apparatus." This invention uses cold water in a closed tank to displace hot water from the tank through a siphon outlet. Again the concept of cold water being heavier and therefore displacing hot water in the top of the tank to create a siphon action is discussed. How the hot water is originally heated is not a discussion of this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,578 to Bennett was issued for an "electrically heated transfer pipe." This patent relates specifically to transferring molten solids in an electrically heated pipe to keep molten solids in a fluid condition. In this invention, the problem of cooled molten metal is being addressed as is the flow of the molten metal. The flow is enhanced by electrically heating the pipe in which the mall metal is flowing. It does not address electrically heating or charging the fluid itself and therefore affecting the molecular structure of the fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,411 to Ronchese was issued for a "dispenser for quantities of hot water." Again a siphon action is used for the dispensing of heated water. However the energy source is not discussed nor is the key concept of changing the fluid characteristics to begin a siphon action addressed.
Other Patents have dealt with and discussed the issues of forces acting on fluids. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,357 to Granstrom et al. shows the use of magnetic force affecting a fluid flow. U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,154 to Cargill et al. shows electrically charged fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,3692 to Inoue shows fluid flow control by magnetic, electrostatic, or current flow means. However, none of these patents deal with generally raising water level specifically through heated or other means to begin a siphoning action, particularly in an upward direction.
It would therefore be useful to have an energy efficient means for moving water from a lower-level to an upper level without the use of substantial amounts of energy to do so. This will allow the siphoning action to take place which can move water upward as well as to begin the siphoning action in the more classical sense where water is moved over an obstacle to downward direction. In either case such action can give rise to power supplies and the generation of electrical and mechanical power in a very cost-effective way.